


i met you before the fall of rome and i begged you to let me take you home

by ffslynch



Series: Kuroo Week 2020 [5]
Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angel Kozume Kenma, Demon Kuroo Tetsurou, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Good Omens AU, Kozume Kenma is Bad at Feelings, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Little Shit, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25985659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ffslynch/pseuds/ffslynch
Summary: in·ef·fa·ble/inˈefəb(ə)l/a feeling too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.(Kuroo Week 2020 day 5: angels/demons)
Relationships: Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: Kuroo Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896280
Comments: 8
Kudos: 72
Collections: Kuroo Week 2020





	i met you before the fall of rome and i begged you to let me take you home

4004 B.C.

It starts like this: an unknown entity decides that the end of its boredom is more important than the overall universal peace.

It continues like this: First, humans are created. With their fragile flesh prisons and even more fragile egos, filled with burning and erratic emotions, driven by impulses and so easily broken, both physically and emotionally. They are the best entertainment, but oh so very dangerous to themselves. 

Then Angels come to exist. They protect humanity from their own possible flaws, their own hypothetical mistakes, their own speculative awful destinies. Such fragile creatures, so eager to go insane and throw themselves into despair and eventual death. Angels pity humans, and their brittle compositions. Angels are pure light, wild wing and eyes. So many eyes. One can not look directly at an angel without turning to dust and one is always seen by the angel, all its thoughts, intentions and future possible or impossible acts. Beautiful, in the same way that lava was soft to touch. Only in concept and you would most likely benefit to never getting close to it. 

Then Demons come to exist, contraposition the light and protecting the darkness and natural corruption inherited by humans. Their physical aspect is neither here nor there, but one can never look directly at a demon without their mind turning to combustion. It’s a mere shadow, really, some shady limbs that are harder, more leathery, some fangs and feathers, only one eye, right in the middle. It sees you for whom you truly are, every drop of hidden emotion and immorality, every lie you told yourself, every party-sized snack pack you ate alone and every time you picked your nose when you thought no one was looking. 

And so, with this third creation, the unbalance previously stated by the existence of angels is cancelled out. Humans are back to its awkward place of fake neutrality, in a universe that have no control of, being observed and judged by immortal celestial and non-celestial beings that were created with their existence in mind and, as a consequence of such, despises them to their cores. 

It starts like this: Whatever is it that is in control, it has a plan. A big plan. To save everyone. And it needs Angels and Demons to act upon each other and humans to keep the balance of the universe, otherwise, a specific sequence of events might happen. This sequence of events would present results that are bad enough that most creatures would rather not experience. In fact, these events might lead all creatures (mortal or not) to cease existing at all. 

Enter Heaven and Hell, ready to instruct its organic beings into eternal work against each other, to protect humans.

Enter Adam and Eve.

Enter the snake and the apple.

Enter the sin and the escape.

Enter Kenma and Kuroo.

Chosen by their respective higher powers to represent their own entities on an eternal battle against each other in order to save humanity from the Antichrist. And so begins the rest of their eternal existence, intertwined with each other. They do their best to keep apart and out of each other’s ways, but with both of their missions being the same point in the opposite sides of the spectrum, is hard to not bump into each other every decade or so. 

However, maybe faith, or destiny or a certain deity up there, has definitely decided to screw them over cause, as it seems, it is kinda impossible to spend eternity by each other’s side without eventually developing some for of affection over the other. 

Kuroo is boisterous, intense on the outside, the perfect image of a demon with slit pupils and a laugh that cackles like burning fire. It is a crafted image, perfectly custom-made by him for a need to be better, the best, an example for other demons. In secret, inside of his own apartment, he lets his human form flops, tiredly against the couch. Do not get it wrong, he is as chaotic as it shows. That, however, it is not the only aspect of his personality, it is merely the only one that seems to be acceptable to show. When he is not putting a show of a brave, demonic face, he allows himself to be quiet and peaceful, surrounded by plants and humming music. He lets himself overthink about the future and the past, about all the small things that have connected all humans, angels and demons, all pieces of history and unknown creations. When the noise inside his head gets too much, he escapes to a certain angels space, letting the repetitive tune and analytical muttering of a strategist fill him up until he feels rested and like himself again. 

Kenma is much more quiet, more observing. He is blunter than other angels, a bit more anxious as well. Maybe it’s because of how long he has been down on earth, living among humans, or maybe it's just his unhinged nature. It makes it hard for him to get along with other angels, and this awareness of their opinions regarding him easily puts him on overdrive. It makes him uncomfortable for the first few centuries in which he is obligated to occupy his human form, which makes it easy for humans also have a problem with him, excluding and considering him weird. Kenma is too aware of his surroundings, unable to turn off his insightful nature. He can not close the eyes of his angelic form, but he can let the hair of his human form grow enough to cover his eyes, and even after a few centuries go by, when he is comfortable enough in this small armour made of flesh and bones, he maintains the elongated fringe. The only time he considers cutting it, Kuroo tells him not to. Says it makes him different than others, it sets him apart in a good way. At the time, Kenma only rolls his eyes, but never cuts it. He says it’s only because he is too lazy to cut it, to which the demon not so kindly reminds him that ‘laziness’ is a sin. Kenma ignores him, Kuroo lets out his hideous laugh that Kenma has gotten so used to. Maybe he has been influenced by Kuroo and his company, their bond forged over the few thousands years inhabiting earth together. He knows he should worry about it, but Kenma can not bring himself to care. So he simply keeps on playing his games, letting Kuroo barge into his apartment to annoy him with his comments and his laugh and simply lay on the background as each of them do their own thing. 

It starts like this: They both know they shouldn’t maintain this odd companionship, as their own things go, by nature, directly against each other. But they are much too comfortable by each other's side, in a much uncomfortable situation on earth, preventing the end of the world and all that. So they keep doing it, meeting each other and finding themselves together for longer periods of time than it would be advised for them to do. It is almost sacrilegious, as close as ‘illegal’ as their (un)celestial existence allow. But it feels too right to stop and in silence, in the depths of their minds, they both think that maybe, just maybe, they deserve to get something good out of all this mess they have entrusted by higher powers that they don’t get to argue against. And if this ‘good’ is to have each other's friendship and company, then so be it. Let them be friends. Let them be, even in secret, together.

41 A.D.

It starts like this: the first time Kuroo thinks that there might be more to Kenma than what eyes meet is in 41 A.D. They catch each other in Rome, after their last encounter a few years ago watching an innocent man that claimed to be a godly son get unlawfully crucified for believing he was special. They sit side by side, in a mildly tense climate in between them. Why they do it, even though they are enemies? Well, for any bureaucratic filling paper, they would reason that one should keep their friends close and enemies closer. The truth, however, was that neither of them had friends, as there is only so close one can get from others without revealing their true immortal, incomprehensible and frightening nature. Being the only one of your kind on earth gets very lonely very quickly, and although they are opposites on kin, it is close enough for them to simply sit by each other's side, to satiate each other in the knowledge that the one beside them knows and sees the other for who they are, and not a fake mask of human flesh that they had created for themselves. 

The waiter serves a rudimental pastry in front of Kenma’s, and Kuroo wrinkles his nose asking about it. Kenma explains how the Romans are perfecting their own concept of ‘pie’, by using a cover of pastry over a filling to keep it moist and nice. He rather enjoys it. 

“Huh, didn’t think of you as someone who could enjoy anything,” Kuroo says with a snort “But it looks... Interesting? I never had one of those” 

“I’d say ‘let me tempt you to’, but that's your job, isn't it," Kenma says, voice straight and face emotionless, and Kuroo raises his eyebrow. It almost sounds like a joke. Maybe the angel does have a sense of humour, after all.

1326

It starts like this: the first time one of them tries to put a name to whatever is this thing that exists in between them, its Kuroo. Reckless, determined, heart-on-your-sleeve Kuroo. 

There is a war lingering in the air, years of pent-up angelic entitlement and demonic rage slowly starting to ooze out and cause harsh impacts on earth. There are natural disasters all over and an overall crumbling of any sort of stability. Right in the middle of it, there is Kuroo and Kenma, their friendship in the most fragile position it has ever been, the most endearing it had ever been. They meet in secret, Kuroo in a fake nonchalant, holding the threads of his emotions in order to make Kenma even more frantic than he already is. 

“It’s a big universe! Even if this all ends in a puddle of goo, we can go off together,” Kuroo proposes, voice on edge. 

“Go off together?” Kenma says, pausing before pulling himself together. He looks at Kuroo like he is insane, like is the first time he has ever seen him “Listen to yourself.”

“How long have we been friends? 6,000 years.”

“We’re not friends, we’re an angel and a demon,” Kenma shoots back. “We have nothing whatsoever in common, I don’t even like you.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, like he doesn’t believe in him.

“You dooo”

Kenma does. He hates it, but he can not say he doesn’t. Kuroo is so annoying and gets on his nerves so easily, even worse : he takes pleasure and has fun in doing so. But he is also ridiculously funny and it’s probably the only person Kenma has ever met that requires minimal energy out of him. He respects Kenma, understands his boundaries, makes him go out of his comfort zone just enough that he can experience new things, and maybe even have fun a few times, but never obligates him to do what he doesn’t want to. Never puts him in uncomfortable positions, or keeps going if he thinks Kenma might be upset. He will gladly sit beside him in silence for hours. Being with Kuroo feels as close as being alone does. 

But Kenma could never let Kuroo win, too many years of forged enmity standing on the way of his irrational, too human feelings. They are enemies, destined to hate each other forever, to stand against each other, to be on opposites sides of an imaginary court. So he maintains his answer. 

“Do not”

“Do so”

“Do not"

“Do so”

“Do not!” Kenma says, before turning and flapping away. Kuroo grins and shakes his head, turning around. Meeting Kenma would probably be the highlight of his next 5 years. He does his best to hide from everyone, of course, but it is kind of undeniable how much he cares for the angel. 

Kuroo does his best to stay away from Kenma, after this. Not because he completely believes on the angels words, but because he does not want to be the one that puts both of them in risk, to be the one that ruins whatever is going on in between them. Almost 200 years go by without no contact, until on an afternoon there is a knock on his door. It makes a chill go down Kuroo’s spine. It has been a few years since the war between angels and demons has calmed down. It is fair from being over, of course, but there has been a radio silence from both parts that is both unnerving and a relief. But a knock on a demons' door is rarely a good sign for both the one listening and the one knocking. Kuroo holds an unnecessary breath and slowly makes his way over, opening the door and gathering himself for whatever it might be on the other side.

Behind his door, an anxious angel is looking down, hair covering his face and fingers twitching, playing with each other.

“Kenma?” Kuroo asks, shocked. He is pretty sure that in the hundreds of centuries that they have known each other, this is the first time that the angel has been the one to seek him. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?” He asks, worried. Kenma eyes stay focused on the floor, refuses to make eye contact. 

“There is a new tea shop near my house. No one else wants to go with me so…” he trails off, and Kuroo can feel a smirk taking over his face.

“I see... So the angels don’t know how to truly appreciate a quality drink.” He says, provocative as ever. “Tsk, what a lack of refined taste.” Kenma simply rolls his eyes

“You’re unbearable” he says, as if he already regrets coming over. He doesn’t, and both of them know it. But Kuroo is relentless and would die before letting Kenma get away with it, so he simply swipes up his coat, putting it on and closing out his door.

“Well, lead the way” he says, and Kenma nods, quietly, before doing so. 

And so, simple as that, they are back to their antics, this fragile, but oddly resilient, thing, filled with teasing jokes and quiet moments of comfortable silence. As reluctant as they might have been in one point, there is really no other word to define them if not ‘friends’, to say the least.

  
  


1793

It starts like this: The first time Kenma realizes how important Kuroo actually is for him, he is about to die. You see, Kenma has an issue with mingling in human affairs. If demons have a hard time controlling their tongues, then Kenma must be the only angel who can not stop himself when it comes giving input in regard to wars and overall battles. His quiet but intelligent nature leads him to a series of misunderstandings and planned encounters in which he simply too socially awkward to say no. Against his will, he becomes the counsellor for kings and leaders throughout history. At first, it seems like a good thing, an easier way to manipulate humanity into following the right path, after all, if their governors did good deeds than surely the rest would follow. 

Wrong. Human nature was much too selfish and unreliable and most of the time, Kenma’s efforts to guide them to the path of light was fruitless and useless. He perseveres, nonetheless, a small part hoping that one day they will actually stop worrying about their flimsy small problems and do the right thing. A much larger part tho, stays and keeps the habit for the fun. The way he sees it, it’s almost like a game. And Kenma finds soon enough that he enjoys playing games. Humans, however, do not enjoy getting played with.

And so, the angel ends up finding himself stuck in a prison cell, minutes away from getting his head cut off in the middle of square as a healthy, family friendly entertainment. 

It is not the prospect of dying in itself that scares him. Technically he can not die, not like this anyway. Of course, it will be painful at some level, and his true form will most likely be released which would just be terribly unfortunate, as well as such an inconvenience, but none of that is what is truly scaring him. But it would be such an embarrassing and terrifying experience to be guillotined in front of all those people, to have to be standing there, being mocked and laughed at and then have his head cut off, in front of everyone. Kenma can already hear them laughing and talking so loudly, humans are almost yelling all the time and it’s driving him insane, all this noise-

“Question” A too familiar voice says behind him. Kenma turns around shocked to find a demon, comfortably sitting on the corner of his cell, as if he had always belonged there “Why are you cornered here like a scared kitten, when we both know you have the powers to free yourself without all the hassle of a public death?” he asks.

“Kuro!” Kenma says, the shock cutting short his eternal enemy (turned ally, but such details must not be said out loud) “What are you doing here?”

“I asked you first” Kuroo asks, smirk on his face, and Kenma rolls his eyes. God, the demon was annoying.

“I got reprimanded by Heaven, a while ago. They say I perform too many frivolous miracles.” he explains, lightly blushing. Kuroo laughs at him, that awful laugh that Kenma had missed listening but wouldn’t admit. Both the laugh and the thought make him blush even harder. “Are you going to help me or not?” He asks, indignant.

“Oh, so impatient Kenma, that is not very angelic of you” he says, but before Kenma can tell him to go back to hell, Kuroo snaps his fingers and the shackles around the angels writs fall off and his clothes are quickly swapped for a much more simple and comfortable outfit, so people wouldn’t recognize him. Kenma looks down and blinks. He is free, once again, thanks to Kuroo. He looks up, locking eyes with Kuroo, a million unsaid words filling up his head. They both stay like that for a moment, staring at each other in pure silence.

“So...Kuro, uh?” the demon asks, with a teasingly soft smile on his face.

“I just misspoke because I was surprised” Kenma explains, embarrassed. Kuroo eyes go a bit wild, and he shakes his hands, his face a bit red

“No, no, I like it. It’s like a nickname.”

“Oh” Kenma says, feeling his face get warmer like the man in front of him “Ok then, Kuro.” He says and Kuroo gives him a smile. A blindingly bright smile. It was truly unfair that someone whose nature was corrupted and hell-bent looked like him, would look so outrageously beautiful. 

“So... Don’t I get a thank you?”

“I refuse to say such pleasantry to a demon” Kenma states, seriously. “But... I do know a nice place to get apple pie. If you’d like that as a sort of compensation” He offers and Kuroo smiles once again

“Well, lead the way, won’t you? You know I’ll follow you anywhere.”

1967

It starts like this: the first time Kuroo understands what humans classify as ‘heartbreak’, he is in his favourite place on earth with his favourite person. In his car, with Kenma by his side. They are driving away from another human disaster, another intervention on an almost end of the world, another possible Antichrist who was actually just another deeply corrupted human being. 

So now here they are, sitting on the car, exhaustion set in their bones and a deep fear of what the next wave of disaster may bring, in complete silence. They don’t talk about the feelings too similar to humans that have been installed in them by the higher force responsible by their creation. They 

“Do you have any place to be?” Kuroo asks, acting nonchalant as always

“No,” Kenma says “You can drive me home” Kuroo does, letting their favourite songs play on the radio. When he stops the car in front of Kenma’s place he hesitates a bit

“You know… If you’d like, we could go for a picnic or dine in one of those restaurants you like so much, I’ll treat you some apple pie? And we can go to an arcade later, play the games you liked but are now old-fashioned?” Kenma stares at him and Kuroo feels his eyes burning him inside out. It’s almost like Kenma is in his original form, tons of eyes seeing him at every possible angle and it makes Kuroo squirms, but he gives him a smirk and stays put under the vision. It’s Kenma. Kuroo wants him to look at him, wants to be seen by Kenma. He is tired of playing around. 

“You go too fast for me, Kuro.” Kenma tells him, a sad smile on his face. He leaves the car and Kuroo stays. He drives around, aimlessly and overplaying centuries of interactions, of small smiles and shy touches. Has he really misread the room that badly? Had he been imagining, drowning himself in illusions of a reciprocated care? 

Maybe. 

Probably. 

He was so stupid, of course, an angel could never love a demon. Above that, someone like Kenma could never love someone like him. 

He doesn’t see Kenma for a long time after that. 

2010

It goes like this: Hell hath no fury like a demon missing his best friend.

There is a rise in the competitive market of video games and Kenma continuously caught himself wrangled in human affairs, incapable of keeping himself away from their addictive games and the even more addictive feeling of competing for something on fairground, for aiming and trying to win a fight against a boss he couldn’t see through, only analyse and come up with a strategy that will beat the enemy. Not because he is an angel, an otherworldly being, but because he is smart. Because he is good at this. 

Maybe too good. Kenma wins a lot, too much, and it angers other players. His human form is much small and fragile, so the threats he receives are fairly scary. Things go sour in one he even Kenma takes part into. It shouldn’t be a big deal, really. Most of it is online, so really, players shouldn’t even talk to each other, much less have any sort of contact besides game playing. But Kenma wins against a human that has an overbearing ego, whining about how Kenma must have cheated, and how the prize belonged to him. It shouldn’t be a big thing, and normally wouldn’t be. Except technology is evolving by the minute and, with the help of it, he finds Kenma. Finds his address to the most specific detail and goes after him. And so, the angel finds himself cornered against his own walls by a much larger, and much angry, man.

He isn’t completely sure how it happens, the whole situation is a whole blur in his usually flawless memory, but suddenly he is there and then suddenly he isn’t. The human body is smashed on the floor, bloody and near crossing to the other side, and in between the both of them, there is a demon. Kuroo is ablaze and filled with anger, an undying fire of fury behind his eyes and blood under his fingernails. 

Kenma is overwhelmed, his heart feels tight inside his chest. He is thankful he doesn’t technically need to breathe to survive because it feels like all air has been knocked out of his longs by fear and anxiety. As he watches Kuroo standing there, protecting him, he feels a wave of relief wash over him. An unmeasurable amount of relief. It feels too much like 1700, too wrong to have a demon saving an angel from his own habits. 

But not having Kuroo by his side for the past years felt much more wrong. 

The human has been beaten to a pulp, and it terrifies Kenma. It terrifies Kenma to see what Kuroo have done to this creature that Kenma was supposed to protect from themselves. It terrifies him that Kuroo has such negative response to something he was supposed to support. It terrifies Kenma the fury behind the demons eyes, the hell he would raise to ensure the angel was safe. 

At that moment, Kenma thinks that if Kuroo ever wanted to end the world alone, on his own, he could.

Kuroo turns back to him, the same provocative smirk he had since before Christ had walked on his red stained face. He offers his hand and asks him if he is ok.

Kenma holds his hand and right there he knows that regardless if Kuroo asked or not, he would follow him.

2012

It goes like this: The world is ending.

Armageddon has finally found its way into happening, with all horseman of apocalypse raging through earth, causing as much destruction on their way as they could. 

Heaven and Hell refuse to take action, letting their own personal differences and distaste against humans coming in between them and their alleged responsibility to stop the ending of the world. They claim that maybe, just maybe, this is what the higher power wants. Maybe this was the plan all along, to create all of this to simply destroy it after. Like a child breaking his own toys when it gets tired of it, or the odd pleasure of smashing a cake with both of your hands, ruining it completely. 

Maybe Angels and Demons are not so different from humans after all, with their petty eternally hold grudges and flimsy excuses to get what they want. 

The Antichrist is standing in front of them and really, that is such an unfair name. He is just a boy, after all. It is not his fault his father is literally the horned king of the pit fire downstairs, and how distorted of a concept it is that we have to carry our parents sins and mistakes on our backs. Why was he destined to destroy earth, because his estranged father had decided that he had to? Why was Kenma in a war against the one person that knew him better than he knew himself, because some unknown powerful entity had decided that this was how things had to happen? 

And Kuroo…Kuroo had completely given up. He was slumped down near some mortals, eyes devoid of emotion, hair oddly flopped down uncharacteristically. Kenma feels a hard level of anxiety filling up his body, completely unused to see the other man like that. He is hopeless and Kuroo had always been, oddly enough, Kenma’s beacon of light and hope through their trying times on earth. 

“Kuro” Kenma pledges, and the demon looks up to him. There is a lack of fire there that makes Kenma swallows dry before continuing. 

"Come up with something or…” His voice breaks and he pauses. Or what? What could he possibly say or do against Kuroo, that would make him change his mind? What could Kuroo he offer Kuroo if they didn’t die? There wasn’t much really. The only thing he could promise him was to stay by his side, forever, if the outcome of this situation wasn’t death. “Or I'll never talk to you again!" Kenma yells, desperation lacing his words. 

At his words, Kuroo’s body grows colder than before. He can not imagine an existence that doesn’t involve Kenma. Even when centuries go by without them seeing each other, the angel is always on the back of his mind. They had been by each other sides for so long, he has no idea how he could possibly, if ever, be without him again. 

Kenma is scared. Kenma is afraid. Kenma needs his help with something, needs him to get his shit together and help him to save the world. 

In the end of it, Kuroo’s whole existence down on earth has turned around Kenma in one way or another, by either fighting him or simply dragging itself to be near him, because it was the closest thing to comfort and happiness that Kuroo had ever felt.

It goes like this: Kenma asks Kuroo to come to up with something and so (because Kenma is Kenma, and Kuroo is Kuroo) how could he possibly say no? 

Sunday, the very first day of the rest of their lives

It goes like this: The world is saved, at least for now. Heaven and Hell reluctantly establish a truce, and go back to their old ways of bickering and softly getting into each other's ways with petty revenges and silly pranks, focusing on saving humanity from themselves and keeping the universe in balance.

It goes like this: They are sitting down on the old cement steps in front of a beaten-down makeshift volleyball court they had taken up to meeting each other now and then. It was an abandoned place by the world, where an angel and a demon could just be in each other's company with the heavy load of what the ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots’ that they had been bred to believe and enforce. There is a warm pot of tea in between them, and Kenma is pondering about the end of the world, voice soft and calm. Kuroo listens and looks at him like he has hanged the stars on the sky. 

“I like to think none of this would have worked out if you weren't, at heart, just a little bit a good person.” Kenma says, a rare smirk on his lips, eyes locked with Kuroo’s.

“And if you weren't, deep down, just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing. Cheers. To the world.” Kuroo replies, smiling openly and fondly. Fearless, for the first time since his dreadful existence had been turned into reality. 

“To the world.” Kenma says, lightly tapping his teacup to the demons.

It ends like this: And angel and a demon who refuse to let go of each other. Who share the bond of being thrown into existence by a higher power that does not care much for their being. That fight their way into the world and each other’s heart with not much regard for the protests of what is right or wrong to the world but are lenient to what their own feelings are accepting of.

It ends like this: With Kuroo and Kenma, being simply themselves, freely and, as always, together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed this, thank you so much for reading and all feedback is greatly appreciated!  
> If you like this or would like to see me shit posting about Kuroo and Yearning in general, you can always find me on twitter @ffskuroo


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